Friday, October 30, 2009

A couple of pictures snapped by my cousin & niece during a family BBQ outing around 2 weeks back. In these pictures, Aiden is seen with his fellow cousin who is 6 months older than him. The BBQ was actually held to celebrate the girl's 1st birthday! But look at their body size - nearly the same!

Oh well, girls are praised for their lithe bodies while men tend to receive compliments for buffed bodies. I guess it is natural for Aiden to be bigger then...

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Last weekend I allocated some time to puree a whole lot of carrots, sweet potato, peas and apples for Aiden. Don't they look yummy?

The end product: 5 ice cube trays of yummy pureed food.

A closer look. I tried the pureed carrots. Erm... and I didn't really like it!

Frozen cubes to be thawed in the microwave.

Anyone wants a bite? Honestly, they don't taste that great. Aiden actually prefers the porridge plus spinach and powdered anchovies combination. So in the end I told Bibik to give him the pureed food I made for his dinner. For his lunch, he gets his favorite porridge mix!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

This is usually the most stressful phase of my work life for the whole year. Not only does it take a lot of effort to write in “intelligent blabber” of all my work achievements for the past year, but it also includes a face to face session with my line manager to receive feedback, share successes and agree on goals and targets for next year. Yeah, some companies may take this lightly. But at the Dutch Oil Company, we take it REALLY seriously.

Unfortunately, this year it unexpectedly became more stressful when suddenly, my boss requested from me, personally, for some feedback. Now, now, giving your boss feedback is not easy! It is probably even harder than receiving feedback.

Of course, if it is about giving feedback to a peer, it’s a totally different story. But when it comes to writing on paper constructive criticism for a person who, at the end of the day would decide how much bonus you would take home at the end of the year, then it’s a whole different ballpark. Usually, workers take the stance of “do nothing” although they believe that their boss should change (for the better). They would almost always suck it up, or think that it is just “part of the job”.

Please do not get me wrong. My boss is great. In fact my line manager is better. No one is perfect, and I can tell you off hand in an informal conversation between friends about what I wish my boss could do better. But I’m just a bit reluctant to give FORMAL negative feedback. I attribute it to being brought up in the Malaysian culture – we are naturally conflict avoiders.

Looks like I would have to sleep on it. This is pretty scary territory....

Monday, October 26, 2009

I had this post written “mentally” inside my mine since 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, I could not find the time to blog it online.

I have been eyeing the Fisher Price Jumperoo for quite a while. The Jumperoo is a free standing jumper with plenty of interactive play options and stimulating movements. It allows babies who are able to hold his or her head up unassisted, and who is not yet able to climb out or walk, to jump in a safe environment. In other words, perfect for Aiden right now, up until he learns how to walk. But every time I look at the price I would unconsciously cringe. It is quite pricey for a baby, and it isn’t even a need – it’s a want.

There is obviously a cheaper alternative, which is the walker (which just rolls, not bounce) or the doorway jumper (which you have to hang onto a doorway – obviously). Pros of these? Definitely cheaper. But the cons? Well, Aiden’s paed had specifically told us when he was just 3 months old, to not get a walker. Because the walker will not help in straightening babies bowed legs (from being cramped in the uterus for too long). Not to mention, with the current house being a split level and my maids “attentiveness”, I wouldn’t bet a thousand bucks that Aiden wouldn’t dive down the steps with the walker. As for the doorway jumper, hmm.. I don’t have a convenient doorway, and I don’t think its much fun to suspend my son from a door. Hmm…

But then, Raya came and went, and Aiden received lots and lots of raya packets! Even hubby and I received raya packets from my dad. I think it is his way of saying “thank you for the first grandson”. Oh well, orang memberi, kita menerima right? *huge grin*

So we decided to purchase the Jumperoo, but using Aiden’s raya money. I guess it is Aiden’s present to himself for his 6 months birthday. Sorry Aiden, Mummy and Daddy are busy saving up for the renovation budget!

A preggie friend of mine had even expressed her intention on buying it from us once Aiden grows out of it. Apparently secondhand Jumperoos are quite hard to find. I did find one about a month back, but the unit would not activate its lights and sounds by jumping. Instead you would have to press a button, and mane la Aiden tau how to push buttons, right? Whereas the Jumperoo we purchased includes a motion sensor that encourages babies by rewarding them with lights and sounds when they jump.

To also further justify it, he is getting a bit tired of the newborn rocker as he prefers to “stand” instead of lying down. Dah besar anak Mummy nie!

Daddy trying to assemble the Jumperoo without the manual.

That's a lot of pieces to put together!

Daddy fooling around. Cepat la Daddy! Aiden wants to jumpppp!!

Daddy finally gave in and started studying the manual. Haha...

A close up of the (complicated) manual.

Putting the spinning seat together.

A bobbling elephant, a monkey swinging from a vine, a parrot hanging from a bead bar, a clear spinning bead ball, a tethered chew toy, a tiger that plays hide and seek and a spinning lizard that makes rattling sounds with eye-catching graphics for Aiden to explore.

Tons of safe jumping fun with toys all around and overhead. Even comes with a spinning seat to let Aiden explore it all.

Aiden's look when we first placed him in the Jumperoo. Priceless!

Aiden: "What is this?? Hmmm..."

Aiden starting to explore.

Now he gets more interested and fascinated.

Aiden: "Woah! There are lights and sounds!"

Chubby thighs!

Aiden: "Thank you Mummy and Daddy. I love it!"

Aiden has been using it for the past 2 weeks, and enjoys the Jumperoo immensely. The variety of textures, the bright colours and fun music – all very stimulating for a baby.

The first time we placed him in the Jumperoo, he didn’t really quite get the idea of jumping. Slowly, he began to understand that jumping equals to lights and music. Then he started to use his legs to rotate himself around using the rotating seat to access the toys all around him.

Nowadays, he can actually play “quietly” (if you count jumping and banging on the toys as quiet) for more than half an hour at times. Provided that he can see you near him. I think he’s slowly developing separation anxiety. He also loves sucking on the dangling bee but has yet to reach for the overhead canopy with the soft toy leaves. He looks at it longingly, hoping to be able to bat at it someday. Hehe…

So I guess at the end of the day, it is Aiden’s money well spent. By the way, anyone wants to get in queue to buy it off me second hand? Highest bidder gets it! *cheeky grin*

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Yesterday was a longgggg day. We were going to service the car at Auto Bavaria Glenmarie then head over to the new house to meet another team of prospective interior designers and contractors.

Unfortunately, we are a bunch of non morning people. So when I heard hubby's plan of sending the car "early morning", I simply laughed. Furthermore, with the new iPhone, we would only sleep after downloading more applications and gadgets which sometimes mean sleeping at 3am!

True enough, we only woke up at 10am! Oh, okay I did wake up briefly at about 8am to feed Aiden with a bottle of milk, but then all of us (including Aiden) went back to sleep. By the time we had our bath, it was nearly 11am. Then Ken, our BMW salesperson called us to tell us that the workshop closes at 12pm! Haha.. so there goes our plan to service the car.

But hubby still wanted to go to Auto Bavaria. He and a friend wanted to test drive the latest 320i Diesel. So while hubby was busy preparing for his drive around Glenmarie, I made Aiden pose with the X6.

Hubby putting Aiden in the X6

Cutesy Aiden trying out the new RED leather seats.

And then he tried to eat the car.

And then he also muntah jeluak in the car.

I think we better get Aiden out of the car, before he further damages it!

Then off to the new house we went! On the way to Shah Alam, we saw advertisements of the new bungalow lots in Nusa Rhu, the enclave right opposite ours. It boasted about 3 Jacuzzis and an 8ft long garden per unit. Of course we simply had to peek! ID ideas right?

Yeay, there is a new signboard into Cahaya SPK!

This is called the zero lot bungalow. Quite small though.

But I love the windows!

While hubby loves the water feature!

He even peeked into the water filter. Memang gila air lah hubby-ku ini.

Another water feature in the 8ft long garden.

The master bedroom.

Quite spacious!

Love the couch!

The second bedroom

The third bedroom

Okay, let's count the jacuzzis! One (master bedroom)!

Two (second bedroom)!

Three (third bedroom)!

Twin sinks for the master bathroom

The living area upstairs

The dining area with lampu KLCC. Well I call it lampu KLCC. Hubby loves it. I hate it.

Overall, nice exterior ideas. Interior wise, they aren't really creative. Its just simply rectangular! The house comes with a solar panel, alarm (one level only) and an electric gate.

But I prefer our house. Our house is guarded, has a club house, bigger garden. Okay, okay. I am being defensive. *grin*

Next stop, the Cahaya SPK clubhouse to check out the new (sold out) Precinct 5 Semi Dees.

The clubhouse is looking better and better. This is the Olympic size swimming pool

See how close the semi-dees are with the clubhouse? *jealous*

Next stop, our own house! Why is there a mountain of sand in my porch???

Habislah kasut raya Nine West ku. Uwaaaa... *sob*sob*

Why did they plant dead grass?

Dead grass with soft lousy soil. Definitely one to record in the defects list!

Plenty of afternoon sunlight pouring into the living room.

Hubby enjoying a smoke in the garden.

Still turf separuh jalan. Hmm.. but now dah ada pokok! Oh, and now the developer dah pasang railing pulak keliling the area. There goes our plan to make a gate to the surau.

Visited my opposite neighbour's house. Oh, so this is how our house looks like from their house. Ooohhh...

About Me

Liz is an oil and gas engineer in her
mid-thirties, who is juggling caring for her sons Aiden and Ian, her marriage
and her career. She’s an extrovert who loves talking, a DIY enthusiast who enjoys planning parties and dessert tables, an avid baker (but a hopeless cook!) and a self-proclaimed shopaholic. Liz’s husband is her complete opposite, which helps alleviate her
flaws and push her strengths to the limit. Liz blogs about the many lives of
herself as a working mother, wife and woman. She hopes readers can relate to
her blogs or at least have a chuckle at her expense.